AVON LAKE, Ohio — You may be the type to run a 5K turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning. Or maybe you prefer to have an early helping of pumpkin pie. This holiday, the weather conditions provided a unique opportunity to indulge in a different sort of Thanksgiving morning hobby – treasure hunting.
"I knew that the lake levels and the lakebed might have some exposures, so that was kind of an extra bonus for wanting to come out here,” said Shea Alltmont.
The Lorain County resident braved the wind and freezing temperatures on Thursday morning. She was combing the beach near Avon Lake’s Veterans Memorial Park, looking for beach glass washed in by the high winds and exposed by the receding water.
Power of 5 meteorologist Trent Magill shared the science behind a phenomenon known as a seiche:
READ MORE: Say whaaat? Seiche!
"You’ve got to think of Lake Erie as a bathtub, if you will. It’s a big bucket of water,” Trent said. “And if you’re going to push all the water to one side by the wind, it’s going to lower on one side and raise on the other. So if it goes six feet down in Toledo, it’s going to go six feet up in Buffalo. We’re just in the middle of it.”
Even in the middle ground of Northeast Ohio, high winds from Wednesday into Thursday exposed areas of Lake Erie not normally visible.
"The beach is different absolutely every day,” Alltmont said. “It’s enjoyable, it’s relaxing, [there’s] a thrill of the hunt sometimes.”
She used her hands to sift through pebbles and shells to find pieces of glass smoothed and frosted by years of lake water.
"There are lots of places along Lake Erie where it used to be a community’s trash dump,” she explained, pointing out shards of brick and the neck of an old Coca-Cola bottle.
Alltmont teaches classes about the origins of beach glass, how to spot it and how to repurpose it into crafts and jewelry. She also shares her knowledge on social media on the Beaches Kick Glass Facebook page and Instagram account.
Even on a cold, windy holiday, she said it’s a passion.
"More than anything, I love the history and making those connections of what I’m finding and what it used to be in its previous life,” she said.
Catherine Ross is the Lorain County reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @CatherineRossTV, on Facebook CatherineRossTV or email her at Catherine.Ross@wews.com.
